The 7 Best Backpacking Sleeping Bags in 2023

Backpacking is a great way to get outdoors and exercise at your own pace. However, to ensure you have a pleasant experience, purchasing a high-quality backpacking sleeping bag is essential.

What’s the Best Backpacking Sleeping Bag?

Choosing the best backpacking sleeping bag comes down to several important factors, the biggest of which is your personal needs.

Not everyone knows what they want in a sleeping bag, so we put together this guide to cover our top picks and some basic things to look for when trying to find the best backpacking sleeping bag.

Whether you’re an expert backpacker or embarking on your first trip, you’ll find the seven best backpacking sleeping bag options in the list below.

Our Picks for the Best Backpacking Sleeping Bags:

1. Best Overall: MalloMe Sleeping Bag For Adults & Kids
2. Best for Warm Weather: ECOOPRO Warm Weather Sleeping Bag
3. Best Waterproof: Sleeping Bags For Adults Backpacking
4. Best for Mom: TETON Sports LEEF Ultralight Mummy Sleeping Bag
5. Best for Side Sleepers: FARLAND Sleeping Bag 20℉ For Adults, Teens, And Kids
6. Best for Cold Weather: Bessport Mummy Sleeping Bag
7. Best for Budgets: VENTURE 4th Backpacking Sleeping Bag

While there are other types of sleeping bags not included on our list, these are the ones we found to be the best in the areas they specialize.

Despite each option being different, they all fulfill the same essential purpose: providing a comfortable sleeping experience.

Why You Need a Backpacking Sleeping Bag

A backpacking sleeping bag is one of many things you need to invest in if you plan to go on a backpacking trip. Depending on the nature of the backpacking you’re going to do, there’s a chance you’ll find yourself exhausted at the end of the day.

And that’s when your body needs to recharge with restful sleep. You can’t expect to get a good night’s rest if your sleeping conditions aren’t optimal.

Purchasing a quality sleeping bag is, without question, the best way to ensure you’re prepared for an upcoming backpacking trip.

Otherwise, you might open yourself up to numerous issues from a poor night’s sleep, including sleep deprivation. It might not seem like a huge ordeal at the moment, but trust us when we say you’re not going to want to go backpacking without comfortable sleeping arrangements.

To make things as easy as possible for you, we’ve written up brief overviews of all the products below that will give you a general understanding of their pros and cons.

The 7 Best Backpacking Sleeping Bags in 2023

Here are our top 7 picks for the best backpacking sleeping bags in 2022. All of these products are purchasable on Amazon.

1. Best Overall: MalloMe Sleeping Bag

The MalloMe Sleeping Bag features a double-wide shape and 100% polyester material that makes for a comfortable and soft sleeping experience every time.

The padding and cushioning do an excellent job of making it so that you don’t feel the ground beneath you, which is a common issue with thinner sleeping bags.

You can compress this sleeping bag down to 12” when it’s inside the carrying bag, and this feature makes it fantastic for backpacking because you won’t have to worry about lugging around a large bag.

Its outer material can also handle moisture, thanks to its waterproof design. While the MalloMe Sleeping Bag is suitable for warm weather, it doesn’t thrive in colder conditions.

Many customer reviews mention the sleeping bag’s inability to keep them warm during the night when temperatures go below 60 degrees. So, keep this in mind if you plan to use it on colder nights.

2. Best for Warm Weather: ECOOPRO Warm Weather Sleeping Bag

The Warm Weather Sleeping Bag by ECOOPRO is our pick for the best warm-weather sleeping bag. It has all the makings of a great sleeping bag, thanks to its:

• Polyester fill material
• Nylon outer material
• Waterproof capabilities

Unlike some sleeping bags that can feel too tight, this one keeps you warm while also being breathable. Meant for long trips, the Warm Weather Sleeping Bag also is incredibly easy to transport from location to location.

Rolling it up into its carrying sack takes a handful of seconds, and you can compress it down to 11” in height and 1.7lbs in weight, making it truly portable.

Because portability is vital for any backpacking trip, this sleeping bag’s compact and lightweight design makes it great in all the areas that matter. 

According to customer reviews, the only drawback is that certain aspects are a bit fragile—namely, its zipper and compression straps. These elements can break if you aren’t careful with them.

3. Best Waterproof Option: JEAOUIA Sleeping Bag

Made by JEAOUIA, this sleeping bag has a fantastic weather-resistant and waterproof design that protects you from the elements and keeps you dry throughout the night. It achieves this by utilizing various materials, including:

• Cotton
• Polyester
• Pongee
• Nylon

There’s also a hood at the top of the sleeping bag with a drawstring for tightening to keep your head warm. The design of this sleeping bag allows it to double as a blanket or quilt when fully open, giving it a multipurpose capability you won’t find in most other sleeping bags.

From a portability standpoint, it’s also lightweight and compact, making it a seamless fit to bring along with the rest of your backpacking gear. There’s not much to dislike about this sleeping bag because it does everything well.

But its lack of a tie for the bag can make it challenging to get back into its carry bag. Some customer reviews also point out that this isn’t the widest sleeping bag, with its dimensions being 9×5.5×13.8.

4. Best for Moms: TETON Sports LEEF Ultralight

Mummy sleeping bags are different from regular sleeping bags in their design, but this doesn’t make them any less great of an option for backpacking.

TETON’s Sports LEEF Ultralight Mummy Sleeping Bag keeps you as snug as possible without sacrificing a comfortable sleeping experience in cold temperatures.

There are three temperature ratings for this sleeping bag:

• 0 degrees
• 20 degrees
• 30 degrees

You should pick one based on whatever your typical style of camping is like to get the best results. Additionally, there are three different sizes to select from and five different colors.

Some customer reviews warn that this sleeping bag has limited room around the shoulder area, but this shouldn’t be an issue depending on the size you purchase.

The only other real downside of the Sports LEEF Sleeping Bag is its price, as it’s more expensive than some of the other options on this list. But, its quality composition makes up for this high price point.

5. Best for Side Sleepers: FARLAND Sleeping Bag

Finding a sleeping bag with enough width is often challenging if you sleep on your side. The main reason for this is that sleeping bags for backpacking can’t be too large. Otherwise, they’ll lose their ability to be portable.

However, FARLAND’s Sleeping Bag is a good choice if you sleep on your side. While one of these sleeping bags is already good on its own, its ability to connect to a second sleeping bag for double the space makes it a standout option.

This ability is possible thanks to its joint zippers, and even if you only have one of these sleeping bags, it can still fold outwards to give you a couple of inches of extra room.

Despite what the product description says, many customer reviews claim this sleeping bag won’t keep you warm in 20-degree Fahrenheit weather. So, if you’re considering this sleeping bag as an option for frigid weather, you may want to look elsewhere.

6. Best for Cold Weather: Bessport Mummy Sleeping Bag

Thanks to its polyester material and drawstring hood, the Bessport Mummy Sleeping Bag will get you through the cold nights with no trouble.

You won’t have to worry about getting wet or having icy drafts blow into the bag because it’s water-resistant and features an airtight design. If you’ve had bad experiences in the past where sleeping bags have ripped easily, you also won’t need to worry about that with this product.

The polyester design can withstand a lot of punishment, making it safe to use if you’re on a camping trip where the terrain is rough. The portability of this sleeping bag is limited to a degree.

It’s still fantastic for backpacking trips, but you won’t find it as easy to carry around as other sleeping bags on this list. Being an ideal sleeping bag for cold weather environments means it’s not best for warmer seasons.

7. Best for Budgets: VENTURE 4th Backpacking Sleeping Bag

The VENTURE 4th Backpacking Sleeping Bag has water-resistant polyester that offers an optimal balance of warmth in various climates.

It also features a lightweight and easy-to-carry design in its compression bag, and a two-way zipper that allows for easy movement at all times.

All these features come at a low price, making this sleeping bag a prime choice for someone new to backpacking who wants to test the waters. VENTURE 4th also offers a full refund if you aren’t happy with your purchase.

Because this sleeping bag is a budget option, it goes without saying that it won’t have the best materials incorporated into its design. Customer reviews also highlight that this sleeping bag often struggles to provide warmth due to the thinness of its material.

Finding the Best Backpacking Sleeping Bag

Browsing Amazon for the best backpacking sleeping bag can prove tiresome due to the vast array of available options. But, you can make the process more manageable if you focus your search on a few critical considerations.

Size

A backpacking sleeping bag’s size is vital for two reasons. First, it needs to have enough space to feel comfortable when sleeping, as it’s challenging to get a good night’s rest if you feel claustrophobic.

Second, if you get a sleeping bag that’s too large, carrying it along on your trip will get cumbersome. To ensure you get a sleeping bag that isn’t too big, always check the product description to see if it’s for backpacking, hiking, or camping.

That’ll typically help you steer clear of the larger sleeping bags. From there, check the dimensions of the sleeping bag and see what different sizes are available. That way, you can get the size that fits you best.

Weather

The weather is another crucial component you have to consider when buying a sleeping bag. Consider what type of weather you’re going backpacking in most often and choose your type of sleeping bag based on that.

If you go back and forth between cold and warm environments, you may need to get two sleeping bags to cover both types of weather and switch them out accordingly.

Alternatively, you can get a high-quality sleeping bag that can handle both types of weather. These sleeping bags are usually on the pricier side, so do thorough research before making a decision.

Waterproof

While getting a waterproof sleeping bag isn’t a necessity, it’s highly advisable because the last thing you want is to get wet while trying to sleep.

Finding a waterproof sleeping bag is tricky, though, as many of them have product descriptions claiming that they’re waterproof when they’re only somewhat water-resistant.

To best ensure a sleeping bag is waterproof, always check customer reviews to see what people say about the feature. If an alarming number of reviews mention the sleeping bag not being waterproof, look for an alternative.

Reviews

On the topic of customer reviews, please take what you read with a grain of salt. Because people have different body types and proportions, it’s hard to gain a real sense of how comfortable a particular sleeping bag is based solely on online reviews.

Instead, use customer reviews to see how other aspects of a sleeping bag perform, such as:

• Zippers
• Compression straps
• Other less subjective features

Also, always focus on the reviews that go into more detail with several paragraphs, rather than the ones that only have a few sentences worth of information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some questions you may still have about backpacking sleeping bags:

So, What’s the Best Backpacking Sleeping Bag?

The best backpack sleeping bag will come down to whichever has the most features that pique your interest. Hopefully, one of our top seven picks offers what you’re looking for.

But if they don’t, remember to use our tips on size, weather, waterproof capability, and reviews, and you’ll be sure to find your ideal backpacking sleeping bag!